Winning ways in minor baseball finally end

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This article was published 31/07/2018 (2762 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Baseball’s magnificent seven have shared a diamond for what will likely be the last time.

Mitch Lyall, Marshal Burgess, Jordan Robertson and Bradley Schoonbaert have played baseball together every year since their minor peewee season. Three of their fathers — Brad Lyall, Terry Burgess and Brad Schoonbaert — have been along for the ride as coaches and managers virtually every year.

In that time, they’ve won three provincial titles and four western Canadian championships.

With the end of the Manitoba Junior Baseball League season on July 14, a remarkable decade of winning finally came to a close.

“It sucks,” Marshal Burgess said. “It definitely sucks. We’ve been together for a long time and won a heck-ton of stuff. Just looking back at all the pictures, it feels like every time we took a picture together it was a championship between us. That doesn’t come without chemistry. It’s not just skill alone. The chemistry that we’ve had growing up and winning games for so long is something special. It definitely sucks to hang these jerseys up.”

Mitch Lyall agreed.

“The word bittersweet pretty much sums it up,” Lyall said. “It’s been a long road but it’s been a fun road. We won a ton and I couldn’t pick a better group of guys to do it with. It’s sad that we’re going to be parting ways but they’ll be my buddies forever so there are still lots of fun times ahead, just away from baseball. It will be all right.”

Robertson, a Carberry product, was the last to join the group, first playing with them in major peewee. The other three had played together since they entered the sport around age five. The left-hander began catching very young, and would often play the outfield because lefties seldom patrol the infield at anywhere other than first base.

Schoonbaert usually played the middle infield, either at second base or shortstop. He also pitched a bit until peewee, although he made several mound appearances again this season.

The left-handed Lyall pitched and served as a first baseman, and Burgess played where he was needed, but that usually meant in the outfield or on the mound.

Each was a special talent in their own way, but it takes a lot more than skill to win.

“It’s a great group of guys here and we love to win,” Bradley Schoonbaert said. “Once you get a taste of that when you’re younger, you want to keep doing it. I think the chemistry between our group is something pretty special. In peewee, 10 of our 12 guys were on the same hockey team as well. It was a fun way to spend the summer.”

Even so, the teams the four played on seldom took the easy road to victory. They would invariably battle some form of adversity.

“With our team, there have been lots of tournaments where we lose the first game and are down and we just always seemed to find a way to come back,” Robertson said. “We had a never-give-up attitude and we always made it interesting.”

The group won its first provincial AAA title in minor peewee in North Winnipeg. Burgess, who said that remains one of his career highlights, said the importance of that victory can’t be underestimated.

“That kind of started it all,” Burgess said. “If we didn’t win that tournament, it would probably be a lot different because we didn’t get that taste of winning.”

It was truly an amazing run, which also included Prairie West High School Baseball League (PWHSBL) championships.

“We have so many memories together,” Schoonbaert said. “Every summer I looked forward to playing ball with these guys. Not many groups have the chemistry or the amount of championships that we do. It’s pretty special. Hopefully we can play some more senior ball together. It’s definitely something that I’ll never forget.”

The quartet understands that they didn’t do it alone. Along with a cast of former teammates, the three fathers played an integral role that the younger men have increasingly recognized.

“It’s been huge,” Lyall said. “They know a lot about the game and were great coaches the whole way through. It’s hard to have a good team without good coaches. On top of being knowledgeable about the game, they’re great coaches to have around. They keep spirits high and know when to have fun and when to lock it in on the bench. They’ve been around the whole way and do a ridiculous amount of stuff for us. They do so much to make all of this work and let us just play the game. I just can’t thank them enough for that.”

While all but Lyall, who took the summer off, play in the Andrew Agencies Senior AA Baseball League — Schoonbaert and Robertson with the GW Vacuum Truck Services Young Guns, and Burgess with the RFNOW Cardinals — each is embarking a different adventure.

Burgess (University of Jamestown) and Lyall (University of Sioux Falls) will return to their American colleges for a third year of baseball. Schoonbaert is heading to the University of Calgary to play hockey, and Robertson will skate with Minot State University.

They’ll leave behind a virtually unmatchable level of excellence in Brandon minor baseball.

“It was a really good time,” Robertson said. “There were lots of fun times we had with this team and lots of memories that we’ll share forever. I joined this team late and it was pretty fun to meet a whole bunch of new guys and grow up with them and experience this whole journey with them.

“It’s just been an awesome time.”

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SEASONS OF SUCCESS

YEAR-BY-YEAR BREAKDOWN

•2009 — Minor peewee — Won AAA provincials.

•2010 — Major peewee — Won AAA provincials, lost in championship game at Westerns.

•2011 — Minor bantam — Lost in extra innings in provincial AAA semifinal.

•2012 — Major bantam — Lost in provincial AAA final. Won western Canadians.

•2013 — Minor midget — Lost in provincial AAA semifinals. Won western Canadian AAA title in Swift Current. Won PWHSBL title at Massey.

•2014 — Midget — Lost in provincial AAA final. Lost in western semifinals. Won PWHSBL title at Massey. Provincial high school champs.

•2015 — Major midget — Won PWHSBL title at Massey.

•2016 — Junior year one — Won MJBL pennant, won western Canadian championship in Estevan.

•2017 — Junior year two — Finished second in MJBL, won western Canadian championship in Brandon.

•2018 — Junior year three — Finished third in MJBL, missed westerns.

 

WHAT HE SAID

SCHOONBAERT ON LYALL

“He’s a gamer,” Schoonbaert said. “Any big game we’ve ever been in, that’s who we give the ball to, and any time he’s on the mound I know our team has a good chance to win. It’s a good comfort level because he has a big presence on the mound. We liked having him in big games.”

LYALL ON ROBERTSON

“He’s been a great guy behind the dish for us,” Lyall said. “Having a good catcher is huge for a team, it’s necessary for a championship team. And not only being a good catcher, he’s a good guy in the dugout. He’s got a good bat and filling in the outfield and stuff, he’s always been a good athlete. It’s a pleasure playing with him. You can put him basically anywhere and he’s going to get the job done.”

ROBERTSON ON BURGESS

“Marshal is a guy that we’ve depended on lots,” Robertson said. “Whenever we need a big play or a big hit, he’s always seemed to come up. We’ve used him many times on the mound too in big games and he seems to always get the job done. He tries to help everyone else out on the field and kind of runs the outfield when he’s out there. He’s been a huge part of us winning.”

BURGESS ON SCHOONBAERT

“It’s huge having a guy growing up all the way who can play the middle infield,” Burgess said. “It’s a tough position to put anybody in and he played that, both minor and major, every year. As we grew up and he got strong, he could hit the ball a long way. He’s a good guy to have at the top of the order, and defensively and offensively he was big for us growing up and a big reason why we won a lot of tournaments.”